El Greco

This painting, titled "Portrait of a Man," is believed to be a self-portrait of El Greco.

El Greco

Katie MacDonald

The paintings above are two of El Greco's most famous works, Christ Carrying the Cross and View of Toledo

Doménikos Theotokópoulos was his full name.

El Greco was a painter, sculptor, and architect from the Spanish Renaissance.

El Greco means "The Greek"

Background•Born c. 1541•His father was a merchant and tax collector•Not much is known about his mother•Traveled to Venice in his mid-twenties and was mentored by Titian•Moved to Toledo, Spain when he was 35•Died April 7th, 1614

Road to Fame•Went to Venice to study under Titian, where he mastered the concepts of perspective and detail•Moved to Rome and stayed with Cardinal Alessandro Farnese•Joined the painter's academy and opened a studio•Left Rome after being frowned upon for criticizing Michelangelo•Moved to Toledo, Spain and met Diego de Castilla, who had him paint for the Toledo Cathedral•Achieved success in Toledo and became a famed artist•Known for his portraits and depictions of Christ•His painting View of Toledo became the first landscape to be done by a Spanish artist

El Greco was famous for his tortured, elongated figures